Carack

Ch3 p7

Tucking into the roast beef when it arrived Gerent felt this was the heartiest meal he had had since the ‘Falcon’s Wing’, which, he reflected, was odd as he was feasted three times a day up at the castle. N’zar seemed to relax a little more after the meal, and as N’zar finished his third drink and another round appeared on the table Gerent, who had only drunk apple juice since the goblet of wine as it had tasted so terrible, thought he would get to know N’zar better by talking about N’zim.

‘I met your brother the other day.’ he ventured at which N’zar suddenly put his drink down and sat back with a look of astonishment, ‘Thou - met with my brother? Which brother, where?’ He said slowly.

‘I didn’t know you had more than one. I met N’zim in the Northern Evells, actually in the ‘Falcon’s Wing’.’

‘Thou didst meet with N’zim in the ‘Falcon’s Wing’.’ N’zar repeated in a stilted voice, Gerent felt that things were going wrong somehow. ‘Pray tell, what didst he appear like to thee?’

‘Well, he was slightly dark skinned, like you and had short, black hair and brown eyes.’ said Gerent, ‘He seemed Ok. Before we were interrupted he had begun to tell me to contact you, I think, he said his brother in the army. Is there another brother?’

‘No,’ replied N’zar oddly cold, ‘I hast only a sister and my mother. Hast the Lord Madron enticed thee into saying this? Is this the test of mine loyalty to his Lordship? Is it that I am thought the traitor now?’

‘No,’ replied Gerent, ‘what do you mean? I saw your brother. What’s the matter, don’t you want to know how he is or anything? He seemed to think he had an easy position there. What did he do anyway to be removed from his post as Captain here?’

‘Do? My brother wast loyal to Madron; he wast no traitor, as hast been cast against him. I took the command offered to me to try and clear his name, before I could, it wast too late, and since I have been unable to find proof do so.’ N’zar was becoming angry and defensive.

‘N’zim told me he had fallen from Madron’s favour, but Morvah told me that he had betrayed her father’s trust in him. Perhaps I could help find out what happened so we could explain it to Madron and N’zim would be Ok.’

‘Art thou trying to catch me in the same trap as they caught N’zim?’ N’zar said suddenly angry. He leaned across close to Gerent and hissed low through bared teeth. ‘Foul being, Madron’s puppet, thou liest! Thou didst not meet my brother. Thou couldst not! Liar!’

‘No!’ Gerent was surprised and drew back, ‘No, I’m not lying I did meet your brother, he said he was in command of the Northern Evells, he sat and talked with me in the inn.’

‘I see thy plan, thou wishes to take command of the guard, to raise thyself in my lord’s eyes and I am to be disposed of, as wast my brother, as a traitor. Is not that thy scheme?’

Gerent’s temper snapped, he had tolerated this mand’s cold rudeness to him all evening, had even come to like him, but this accusation, which he didn’t understand, made Gerent angry and he suddenly jumped up, pushing his chair over backwards as he did so.

‘That is not my scheme! I don’t have a scheme as you put it,’ he shouted, ‘I am not lying!’ The inn went silent at the sound of the shouting, Gerent felt close to tears, ‘I did see your brother, that’s all, and – and I wish I could see mine!’ With that, he turned and ran  out of the inn, he looked wildly up and down the street; and decided to head down toward the town gate, away from the castle and the route he thought people would expect him to take, he wanted to be alone, to get away.  He ran, the sound of his feet slapping on the paved street echoing off the walls of the tall buildings that enclosed him. He felt angry with N’zar for disbelieving him, angry with himself that he had betrayed the fact that he had a brother and angry because he felt he could not do anything to get himself back to where he belonged. He told himself he should be more careful with his words in future, what more might he have revealed to the two men if he had not left as he had.